The present invention relates to an improved dust pan. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dust pan that provides improved means for removing the debris from the dust pan, that has low transport cost due to nestability, and that can be injection molded in a single piece
Dust pans of numerous shapes and sizes are known in the art. Dust pans are useful for cleaning in and about the home and commercial and industrial buildings. Dust pans typically have a broad shallow container or scoop attached to a handle, the scoop or container being open on one edge. The scoop is rested on the ground and a broom or other implement is used to push dust or other debris over the edge and into the scoop. The scoop is then manipulated like a shovel, to lift and dump the debris into a receptacle out of the same open end through which the debris or dust originally entered. Exemplary dust pan devices of the prior art include Coffey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,692; Marttinen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,611; Kahan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,734; and Vosbikian et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,737.
However, all of the prior art dust pan devices suffer from a common drawback, namely, they have a tendency to spill a portion of the debris upon emptying. It would therefore solve a long felt need in the art if the is drawback were to be overcome and a dust pan provided that was structured to substantially reduce, if not eliminate spillage of debris when the dust pan is emptied.
It would also be desirable to provide a dust pan that is nestable for lower transport costs.
It would be further desirable to provide a dust pan that can be simply and inexpensively manufactured.
Special mention is made of U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,780 by the same inventor.
The dust pan of the present invention solves the problems of the prior art devices by providing an improved means for emptying out the debris contained in the dust pan. In this regard, the present invention provides a dust pan that is equipped with a rear debris outlet, and wherein the rear edge of the dust pan has a length that is at most about 75% of the length of the front edge of the dust pan.
In this manner, by providing a rear debris outlet and a rear edge shorter than the front edge, the present inventor has found that substantially less debris is spilled when the dust pan is emptied, as opposed to conventional dust pans that are emptied from the front opening.
Additionally, by providing a dust pan in which the debris inlet is constructed such that the height and width of the debris inlet are each greater than the height and width of the debris outlet, the present invention has discovered that the dust pans can be horizontally nested by sliding the debris outlet of one such dust pan into the debris inlet of a second dust pan. Such convenient nestability allows for greatly lower shipping and storage costs.
Additionally, the dust pan of the present invention can be simply and inexpensively manufactured in a single piece.
The dust pan of the present invention can additionally accommodate a collection bag or collection container that may be attached to the dust pan to cover the rear debris outlet. The bag or container may be attached via any means known to those of ordinary skill in the art, for example by snaps, however, attachment by grommets, a retaining bar, a device such as a twist lock feature, or any other attachment means known to those skilled in the art is within the scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a dust pan comprising the following components: (a) a substantially flat bottom panel having a front edge of length x, a back edge of length y, a left side edge and a right side edge; (b) a left side panel connected to the left side edge of the flat bottom panel and having a back edge, a front edge, and a top edge; (c) a right side panel connected to the right side edge of the flat bottom panel and having a back edge, a front edge, and a top edge; the length of said front edges of said left and right side panels being greater than the length of said back edges of said left and right side panels; (d) a substantially rectangular back panel attached to the back edge of the bottom panel and the back edges of the left side panel and right side panel; (e) a substantially flat top panel attached to the top edges of the left and right side panels; wherein the top edges of the left and right side panels are substantially straight and downwardly taper from the front to the back of the dust pan; wherein the back panel has a height less than the height of the back edges of the left and right side panels whereby a rear debris outlet is defined between an upper edge of the back panel and a lower surface of the top panel through which debris collected by the dust pan may be emptied; wherein the top panel has a length less than the length of the left and right side panels to thereby define a debris inlet in the front of the dust pan; and wherein said debris inlet in said front of said dust pan is dimensioned such that said dust pan can be inserted rearwardly into a second dust pan through said debris inlet such that said dust pans are situated in nesting fashion therein, for purposes of decreased transport costs.